Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

STTARS SuperTT EI Cajon Speedway STORY AND PHOTOS BY JAMEY BLUNT EL CAJON, CA, J(JLY 27 ajon Speedway hadn't seen a motorcycle race since 1963. The legendary dirt oval that once saw the likes of Don Vesco, Cal Rayburn, Floyd and Don Emde competing was paved over in 1966. Flash-forward some 36 years, and Don Canet's SuperTT American Racing Series brings motorcycle racing back to the facility run by the Brucker family. This three-eighths-mile banked oval features a kart roadcourse through its infield, making it well suited for the pavement/dirt combination of SuperTT competition. Supermotard, as it's called in Europe, is quickly becoming a global phenomenon, with the debut of an FIM-sanctioned World Championship in 2002. SuperTT, as we've come to know it here in the States, combines Gary Trachy (5551 leads Mike Metzger (111 en route to the Open victory at the SSTARS SuperTT event at EI Cajon Speedway. Regarding tire choice, this is an "open traction" class, in which even knobbies are allowed. The Open class is granted unlimited modifications to any displacement single-cylinder machine. Bikes shod with 17 -inch road-race radials or 19-inch dirt-track tires are a common setup. Often, there's a dirt section and jump to keep it to equipment of a dirt-based origin. At 3:30 p.m., the first of two Sportsman heats rolled to the starting grid on Cajon's front straight_ The top seven from each heat would transfer to the mains run later in the evening program. With only 15 riders signed up for Sportsman class, the heat results merely set the grid for the Cannondale rider Cory Neuer placed first in the Sportsman class in EI Cajon, California. the high speed of road racing with the handlebar-banging of TT-style dirtrack racing. Sound familiar? It's all reminiscent of the long-gone ABC Wide World of Sports Superbikers held at California's Carlsbad Raceway. How many kids watched their TVs and dreamed of one day being one of the select few invited to participate in this event? Well, the Superbikers may be a cancelled TV show, but the spirit is far from dead, as the dream lives on in SuperTT. Two SuperTT classes were run within Cajon's popular Saturday night NASCAR program. First, a quick look at the rules: A good entry-level category, the Sportsman class allows single-cylinder motorcycles of any displacement, two- or four-stroke. These bikes must maintain a 21-inch front wheel and have full (stock) suspension travel. Due to the rigors of pavement racing, brake rotors, pads and lines may be upgraded, but stock brake calipers must be retained. main. Much more was at stake, however, as the first of two Open-class heats rolled out. With 28 riders vying for transfer slots. over a dozen riders would be relegated to a semifinal. Sacramento's Don Hart, aboard a Pinit Motorsports Vertemati 570, took the victory over Fast Co./Orange County Honda-backed Gary Trachy's CR500 in Open heat one. The faster Open heat went to the Honda CRF450 of AFAM/Volcom's Mark Cernicky in a breakaway win over Moto-Mater Vertemati's Steve Drew. In the Open semi, only the top four riders would transfer to the rear of the main. National number 22, Dan Butler, took his Vertemati of San Diego 570cc machine to the win, with Redlands' Jimmy Wood on a similar machine snatching the final transfer. The stands came alive, with 3,862 paid spectators, plus another 500 people in the pits cheering as the SuperTT cycles took to the track for Hart took over second from Drew in the 10-lap mains. The green flag dropped, signaling the start of the Sportsman main, with Bob "Crazy" Cobb leaping from the middle of the front row to lead the pack. As the group left the dirt section for the first time, Jim Kesler moved into second. At the completion of lap one, the order was Cobb, Kesler, Cory Neuer, Travis Tiner and Jeff Seifert. On the third lap, Neuer, the editor of MXRacer magazine, put a move on Kesler entering the infield section and set his sights on Cobb. Four laps in, the front three had broken away from the pack. Cobb bobbled on lap five, allowing the fastest rider on the track, Neuer, to close the gap and grab the lead down the back chute. Lap seven saw a tiring Cobb relinquish second to Kesler, with Neuer five seconds out front. On the final lap, Kesler threw it away in the infield, but Cobb was too far back to take advantage. Neuer took the win, and Kesler qUickly remounted to claim second, over Cobb in third. the dirt section. Just after halfway, backmarkers came into play. Trachy, however, felt no pressure from behind_ Labasci Aprilia's Jeremy Toye was now secure in fourth, followed by Jason Chisum, who had his hands full with hard-charging Vertemati rider Butler. On lap six, Butler took fifth away from Chisum_ At the checkers, Trachy, safe and secure, took the win. Hart stayed in second, with Drew nar-rowly fending off Toye for the final podium spot. A winner's circle champagne celebration gave the top three finishers the opportunity to play it up for the crowd. With the inaugural Cajon Speedway SuperTT well-received by the crowd and viewed favorably by the Brucker family, the future looks bright for more STTARS-studded nights at Cajon Speedway. eN EI Cajon SpeedwIY EI Cajon, Califllmil Results: July 27, 2002 An 18-rider field lined up five rows deep for a crack at the Open feature's $1000 purse, put up by KTM Sport- OPEN; 1. Gory Trochy (Han): 2. Don Hort (Ver); 3. Steve Drew (Ver); 4. Jeremy Toye (Vor); 5. Dan Butler (Ver); 6. Jason Chisum (Cen); 7. Mike Metzger (Ver); 8. Poul Umo (Hus); 9. Ben Welch (Han); 10. Mike Zuorski (Yem); 11. Isallie Heinrich (Hus); 12. DlIIrrell Moore (ATK); 13. Jimmy Wood (Ver); 14. Elliott Iverson (W-R); 15. Brod Rudy (KTM); 16. Chod Rolland (Yam); 17. Cory Neuer (ClIn). SPTSMN: 1. Cory Neuer (elln); 2. Jim Kesler (Yom); 3. Bob Cobb (Han); 4. Jeff Seifert (Han); 5. Trllvis Tiner (KTM); 6. Tim Knutson (Hus); 7. Phil Allison (Suz); 8. Brlld Rudy (KTM); 9. Oem Bryson (Hon); 10. George Round (Hon); 11. Ted Stevenson (Kaw); 12. Nick Kunewelder (Vern); 13. Mllrk McCein (Suz); 14. Som Leiske (Kow). motorcycles, Aprilia/Ducati/Vor of Oceanside, Moto-Connection, North County Yamaha/KTM, and WoodEase. Polesitter Cernicky got the jump but stalled his motor exiting the dirt section the first time through, and then threw it away two turns later in an effort to make up lost time. At the completion of lap one, the two-stroke of Trachy had a full second lead over Drew's Thumper, with Hart in third. With four laps completed, Trachy was out front by more than five seconds and pulling away. This is also the lap on which Bob Cobb led the first half of the Sportsman main event. cue I • n e _ S • AUGUST 21,2002 51

• Cover